THE CURLEW 



NUMENIUS ARQUA1A 



LOCAL names in surrounding counties : " Whitterick," 

 " Old Harry " (Essex). 



STATUS IN BRITISH AVIFAUNA : A widely distributed 

 resident, changing its ground according to season : in 

 summer frequenting the moors from Cornwall northwards 

 to the Shetlands and those of Ireland ; in winter resort- 

 ing to the coasts, marshes, and lowlands. Its numbers 

 are increased by migrants in autumn. 



RADIAL DISTRIBUTION WITHIN FIFTEEN MILES OF ST. 

 PAUL'S : It seems a little surprising that so large and so 

 wary a bird as the Curlew should visit the Metropolitan 

 area on migration. Undoubtedly the number of indi- 

 viduals that pay London a passing call is infinitesimal 

 compared with the number that flies over the great city 

 at so great an altitude as to escape notice. Cries from 

 these migrating flocks are, however, often to be detected 

 at night, especially in the quieter suburbs. The Curlew 

 often visits Wimbledon on passage, and has been recorded 

 from the banks of the Thames in various spots not very 

 remote from the centrl area. I can also record it from 

 Wembley and Kingsbury, from the Welsh Harp, Elstree, 

 and the neighbourhood of Pinner. In Essex, of course, 

 the Curlew is a familiar bird in winter on the saltings, and 

 it has been observed in the Wanstead and Epping dis- 

 tricts. The same remarks apply to Kent, and there are 

 records of the species from many localities within our 

 limits. 



There are few more shy and wary birds than the Curlew, 

 and seldom indeed is one allowed to approach it within 

 gunshot. It is one of those species that spends the greater 

 part of the year on or near the coast, retiring in spring to 

 moors and uplands to breed, returning with its young to 



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